Ice fishing tip-ups are well known, and encompass a wide variety of styles and operative characteristics. Typically a tip-up has a flag which is mounted on a bendable metallic pole or strip. In use, the metallic strip is flexed and lightly secured beneath a latch. When a fish strikes the line, a mechanical coupling causes the latch to release the flag, which springs to an erect position. One variation of this mode of operation includes the addition of or substitutes a signaling light to notify the user that the latch has been tripped. Once activated the alarm(s) is activated and the fisherman has no other indicator to determine how the fish is acting.
In the conventional tip-up, the line and its spoolpiece are underwater (to prevent freezing); and, it is generally not possible to determine if the fish has taken the bait and is running with it, or if the latch was simply released when the fish first nibbled the bait. Thus, the fisherman must view or retrieve the underwater spool, often being required to first or break the ice in the hole, to determine if the spool is unwinding. Either of these actions might frighten the fish if it has not in fact taken the bait.
Depending upon the amount of food available, water temperature and other factors, fish exhibit various eating characteristics. One common characteristic is for the fish to test the bait. They do this by either nibbling the bait or else turning the bait around by striking it and then expelling it. If satisfied with this nibble or first strike, the fish then returns, taking the bait and running with it. At other times, a fish will strike the bait only once and begin running immediately. In this latter situation, the fisherman risks having the line run out. If the line runs out the entire tip-up may be pulled through the hole, or the hook may be ripped from the fish's mouth. Also, where there is an excessive amount of line out, there is a greater likelihood that the line will become entangled in debris. To avoid these problems the fisherman must know whether the fish is running with the bait or simply nibbling at the bait.
With the tip-ups now available, the fisherman is only notified that the flag has been released; caused by wind or rotation of the spool. Assuming that the tripping of the latch was caused by a fish striking the bait, the fisherman has received all the information he can obtain from the tip-up. Until the spool is withdrawn from the water or visual observation is made, the fisherman cannot determine whether the fish tool the bait or was simply sampling it. Thus, he does not know if he should set the hook or wait for a second strike. Of course, he will not be notified of the second strike by the tip-up since the flag has already been released.
Conventional flag type tip-ups, are often subject to false alarms. These are commonly referred to as wind flags. Thus, the fisherman spends a great deal of time and effort going out to check and reset these false alarms, never knowing if he has a fish on the line. In addition, setting these flags repeatedly is a tedious activity. Temperatures are usually low and windfall factors only exacerbate the problems. Setting the flags while wearing heavy gloves is extremely difficult and, if the fisherman must remove the gloves to set the tip-ups, he becomes subject to the discomfort of often extreme temperatures. Thus, setting (temperamental) flags is not only time consuming and frustrating it may also be painful.
Because fisherman set a number of tip-ups, it is common for one of the first set tip-ups to be activated while the others are being set. Since the tip-up alarm is only visual and the fisherman is concentrating on setting the remaining tip-ups, the alarm often goes unnoticed and the fish is lost.
With all the present ice fishing devices the fisherman receives a one time warning that the latch has been released but receives no continual information concerning the fish.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a new and improved ice fishing device which continuously reports the action of the fish taking the bait.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved ice fishing device which is not subject to false readings or alarms.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved ice fishing device which does not need to be reset after each use.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved ice fishing device which is not solely visual.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved ice fishing device which is easy to set up and break down, and inexpensive to manufacture.
Objects and advantages of the invention are set forth in part herein and in part will be obvious here from, or may be learned from practice with the invention even by novices to the sport of ice fishing.